Netflix set to stream Watch Instantly flicks to iPhone, Wii

If you could, would you stream Netflix to your Wii? How about your iPhone or …

This just in: Netflix appears to be set to launch Watch Instantly for some new devices—namely, the Nintendo Wii console and the little handheld platform from Apple. The source of this rumor is "an industry executive familiar with Netflix's plans" who spoke on (we assume) the condition of anonymity to Multichannel News. That executive says that Netflix plans to launch streaming for the iPhone, iPod touch, and Nintendo Wii very soon.

The closest we can come to corroborating this information is that some of us in Orbiting HQ received surveys from Netflix a couple months ago asking us if we would take advantage of streaming to these devices if it were available, and, if necessary, would we be willing to pay a small fee to install the software. Earlier this year, we heard a similar rumor from a Lionsgate executive that said Wii streaming was coming soon, after the success of streaming to the Xbox 360. And in April, Netflix posted a job listing for "engineering leader" for gaming platforms. It's not hard to imagine Netflix would extend this feature to the most popular mobile application platform on the planet, as well as gaming consoles.

Netflix currently offers streaming of Watch Instantly content to several devices, including some Blu-ray players, HDTV models, and the dedicated Roku set-top box. Netflix has also offered streaming via the Web to a computer, but that method relies on Microsoft's Silverlight—which isn't included on the browsers on either the iPhone OS nor the Wii. Chances are—given the history of SlingPlayer Mobile—that a dedicated iPhone app would enable streaming over WiFi connections only. Streaming to the Wii would be a custom "channel."

We can't say that we're not a least a little bit excited by the prospect of streaming to either type of device. Of course, streaming to the Wii would be trivial—those devices are already hooked up to a TV and usually to a network. Streaming to the iPhone would be fun, even handy in some situations. Still, we'd wager about eight times out of ten that you'd want to stream something—to kill time while waiting in line or commuting via train or bus, for instance—you would be out of range of an open WiFi network. Someday, perhaps, AT&T will have a network robust enough to live up to the promise of truly mobile broadband with "unlimited" data.

Originally posted by rukiri:Sony already has a movie service. Why would anyone still pay 5 bucks to rent a movie for 24 hours from Sony if you could watch watch netflix for free? Sony will never support netflix on the ps3.

"Sony Microsoft already has a movie service. Why would anyone still pay 5 6 bucks to rent a movie for 24 hours from Sony Microsoft if you could watch watch netflix for free? Sony Microsoft will never support netflix on the ps3 xbox."

Microsoft did it, and they still offer video rentals because -- believe it or not -- not every Xbox 360 owner is also a Netflix subscriber.

Originally posted by rukiri:Sony already has a movie service. Why would anyone still pay 5 bucks to rent a movie for 24 hours from Sony if you could watch watch netflix for free? Sony will never support netflix on the ps3.

From CD players in the 90s (needed Sony branded adapters) to digital cameras (compact flash) to HD camcorders (only works with some Sony device or PS3), Sony always ignored standards to try to force their own. Why expect better behavior now, they haven't been profitable for a while and still won't learn.

This is getting sort of funny. Pretty soon I'm going to have more devices in my house that can stream netflix than can actually play a DVD... Anyone want to buy a lightly used Roku box? (Don't PM me... I'll probably just give it to my inlaws for Christmas...)

I hope this happens. I'm currently streaming on an LG Blu-Ray player which is the biggest piece of crap I've ever owned. It will be nice to use the Wii for watching movies while I send it in for warranty repair, that is if they ever send me the shipping label they've promised me several times.

I use a program called Playon and its awesome! I stream netflix, hulu, amazon VOD and youtube to my ps3. It works with PS3 or 360. You install it on your PC then login your user ids and it will appear in your 'search for media servers' section on your ps3. Genres and shows are listed alphabetically. the only kicker is it's 40 bucks but in my opinion its well worth it. Picture quality is damn good.

I'm very excited at the prospect of Netflix streaming to my Wii. I don't have a 360 or a Netflix compatible BluRay player, but we watch a lot of Netflix streaming via laptop. It would be great to be able to actually watch this on the TV through our Wii.

If this comes to pass on the iPhone, what's to stop someone from hacking it to direct the video stream elsewhere? Would there be a proprietary Netflix app exclusively for the iPhone that provides end-to-end encryption? If so, it seems like it would be expensive for Netflix to establish a separate bank of servers just for this one platform.

I would pay .99 - 4.99 for a NetFlix iPhone app. I have a TiVo HD and stream a ton of NetFlix movies already. I rarely use my media PC for that...I use Hulu Desktop instead as it "honors" my MCE remote (and my Harmony remote).

For whatever reason, I frequently find free Wi-Fi away from the house. The casino I play poker at has a hotel on property and their free Wi-Fi for guests is excellent. I watched an old Star Trek with the flaky TV.com iPhone app the other night waiting for a tournament to start seating.

Originally posted by weltron555:I use a program called Playon and its awesome! I stream netflix, hulu, amazon VOD and youtube to my ps3. It works with PS3 or 360. You install it on your PC then login your user ids and it will appear in your 'search for media servers' section on your ps3. Genres and shows are listed alphabetically. the only kicker is it's 40 bucks but in my opinion its well worth it. Picture quality is damn good.

I second that. You can test drive it for 14 days to see if you like it.

Cool...too bad that Netflix "watch instantly" content is pretty much dismal. Hulu is much better and much quicker.

I mean, we still get Netflix and we watch some of the streaming stuff, but once we hooked a PC up to our widescreen TV, 90% of the time it's Hulu we're watching and not Netflix. If only they would expand on their content, it would be great....but you're limited to really crappy movies or TV shows. Once in a while they'll have something good, but for the most part it's just crap or if it's a TV show, they'll only have like some of the episodes of a season with "episode only available on DVD". But then again, Hulu has that problem too.

New releases on Netflix instant streaming are indeed paltry, but if you're not opposed to doing a bit of digging to build a queue it's not hard to find enough to watch to pass the time. It's still better than cable alternatives imo since I can choose what I want when I want it without having to fudge around with a DVR menu system to queue up things for later (comcast's is pure cracp, tivo is better but is still slower than a web browser for me.)

I'm all for streaming to the Wii as my wife isn't as happy to sit in front of a stack of PC monitors as I am (my 360 sits here too so that's a moot issue.)

I see this as a possibility that it will also be put on the Apple TV. I would love that. Then I could get rid of my Roku box and have one less component connected to my TV. But that could lead to a bigger possibility of an app store for the Apple TV.

This would be awesome. I just recently setup an old laptop (Inspiron 8200) specifically to Netflix stream in the living room (the 360 is in the basement). It's been hell because the laptop only does composite or S-Video out and the text is damn near impossible to see on the TV (old "HD" Samsung 30" widescreen that does only 480i/p and 1080i).

The picture from the stream is fine, it's trying to read the text on the screen to get to the play link that is murder.

Originally posted by Valis:New releases on Netflix instant streaming are indeed paltry, but if you're not opposed to doing a bit of digging to build a queue it's not hard to find enough to watch to pass the time. It's still better than cable alternatives imo since I can choose what I want when I want it without having to fudge around with a DVR menu system to queue up things for later (comcast's is pure cracp, tivo is better but is still slower than a web browser for me.)

From what I recall, Tivo allows you to use a web browser to program your DVR. I still find myself pining for my old series 2 Tivo, even as I return my Comcast DVR and cancel my television service altogether.

Originally posted by wiz420:From what I recall, Tivo allows you to use a web browser to program your DVR. I still find myself pining for my old series 2 Tivo, even as I return my Comcast DVR and cancel my television service altogether.

Right, that's my fault for trying to reduce 3 paragraphs into one. Basically it's about where I do my primary use of each. Since my wife is the one that tends to spend more time at the TV, having my netflix queue available on her wii would be great.

I'm excited by this if only to turn the iPhone into a cheap Roku. For the cost of a dock with AV capabilities permanently connected to the tv, you could pop in your iPhone and stream movies. Would definitely beat connecting up a laptop each time.